A California man is suing federal officials on charges that, in retaliation for his refusal to become an FBI informant, he was kept on the secretive terrorist watchlist and unfairly denied critical security clearance for a truck-driving job.
Mohamed Al Seraji, who is Muslim, says he was the sole source of financial support for his family after his father passed away and, due to the discrimination he faced, he lost an employment offer, throwing his family into significant hardship.
“It’s upsetting. It’s stigmatizing in the community,” said Charles Swift, director and counsel for the Constitutional Law Center for Muslims in America, which filed the lawsuit in early September. “It affects his ability to earn a living, which means his family has less food, period. It’s that simple.”
